October 26, 1965

Today in 1965, Queen Elizabeth II presented the Beatles with the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace.

According to John Lennon, the group smoked a joint in one of the palace bathrooms to control their nerves.

The Beatles’ award was the subject of some backlash, prompting some recipients to give back their own awards in protest. John Lennon commented: “Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE received theirs for heroism in the war, for killing people. We received outs for entertaining people. I’d say we deserve ours more.”

When asked how he enjoyed meeting the Queen, Lennon replied, “She’s much nicer than she is in the photos.”